August 15, 2009

This is my daughter (about 8 years or so ago) and the sweet subject of the story below. This happens to be one of my favorite photographs of her because, in my eyes, it captures her essence. The text overlay is compiled of favorite quotes and scripture about home, family, and the safe harbor that I believe home needs to be.

It's been a week of several challenges between my snickerdoodle and me, and I found myself this morning considering why . . .I am not ready for her, my first born, to be entering into her teen years just yet. We've been through so much, mother and daughter, from nearly losing her precious life in a very complicated delivery, to a first year of seeming insurmountable physical challenges, physical therapy, occupational therapy, illnesses, and the years that followed seeing us thru many visits to many specialists. That little girl who has overcome so much is growing up, she is becoming independent, she needs me in different ways now - and yet she hugs me and tells me I am the best mom in the whole world. I don't know (no, okay let's be real I KNOW I'm not) but I am the luckiest mom.

On one of those many Jr. High forms that came home there was a request to "tell us something amazing about your child." My child is strong, confident, capable beyond her willingness to see, she is witty beyond her years, insightful, precocious (still), oh so bright, beautiful, unique and so, so beloved. Today, share something amazing about your children with each of them.

I stumbled upon this lovely song by the equally lovely Martina McBride and know it is no coincidence that I did - do take a moment, if you're a mother of a daughter and listen.

August 14, 2009

Are you a mom? Do you ever have a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very, VERY Bad Day?

Occasionally, I like (okay, need) to share a little piece of my heart - a personal note - with you.

I am a deep sleeper. I mean VERY DEEP. I hear nothing, and little if anything awakes me . . . including my beep beep beeeeeeep

BEEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEP alarm clock. I'm not sure why, it's just the way I'm made (I do awake rested tho).

Today, is the second day of Jr. High. Today is picture day on the second day of Jr. High. Today, I slept thru my alarm clock and it began as a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very, VERY BAD DAY!

I ran into my daughter, Jessica's room, indicating I slept thru the alarm (apparently so did she as her alarm clark was buzz, buzz BUZZING away!). I said, "class begins in 10 minutes, get up get ready, and you can eat breakfast on the way." Downstairs I ran, toasted a waffle, made the lunch (totally dismissed the coffee machine I so enjoy greeting each morning - no time today - not now anyway), looked at the clock and quietly thanked God we live only 3 minutes away by car - but promptly remembered the traffic of 1400 moms and dads driving their little newbies to Jr. High - we WILL NOT MAKE IT.

My soon 2 b 13 year old was righteously furious with mum because she had to blaze thru putting in her contact lenses, brush her long golden blond locks, and oh no time to care for the desired (okay NEEDED on picture day) necessities for a new teen, like a touch of blush, lip gloss and last look in the mirror.

Okay, WE CAN MAKE IT on time, we can do it! We exited thru the garage to the car, then, she bumped her beloved shayna punum (head!) rushing out the door and the flood gates opened. OMG! The levy broke!

Now, as a mom I can acknowledge responsibility for when I mess up (and I am incredibly hard on myself when I do), but I know it is sooooo important and valuable for our kids when we say those sweet words, "I am sorry." I can do my all to think ahead, to plan ahead, to circumvent problems BEFORE they occur, to fill my wee one's tool box of life with all the required I-am-going-to-live-a-successful-life tools and then some, ya know, just in case . . . but the emotions of a 12-13 year old I cannot control, nor manage. So, the tears poured, the contact lens was lost on the floor of the car (no she didn't put the cute little case with the drops/xtra lenses, etc in her back pack) sooooooooooooo as we approached the school, on time, but with tears, we had to turn around, return home to put in a replacement lens. She was late, on the second day of Jr. High, and it was picture day on the 2nd day of Jr. High, and first period was her scheduled picture time. OMG! I screwed up BIG TIME!

We both have lessons to learn from our Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very, VERY Bad Day: (1) I need to buy a new alarm clock, and never EVER oversleep again; and (2) my sweetpea and snickerdoodle needs to learn to pick up and use some of the tools in that Tool-Box'O-Life I try to fill up each day.

I guess somewhere along the way they do, don't they? Those who preceed me, please, tell me they do, please.

So, as I was going thru the myriad of paperwork that came home on the first day of jr. high, I ran accross a statement that I have paraphrased and created this sweet little reminder to post up on her magnet board above her desk to keep her organized (ooh, another one of those tools). Hmm, wonder if she'll see it when she comes home.

And for me, and for you if you're a mom:

Now, I am off to take care of a million little other things today.

BIG SQUISHY HUGS - I think I may need one today too. Someday, this story will be funny.

August 11, 2009

We're off to have lunch together (my family and I) and then the bestest best chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. Who said you can't have your cake and eat it too? They certainly didn't know moi!